The present disclosure relates generally to devices for interfacing with medical sutures. In particular, suture bridges that elevate an external portion of a suture above a patient's skin to extend the useful life of the suture and to compress a wound are described.
Sutures are stitches used to close wounds and surgical incisions of a patient. A medical practitioner generally uses a needle with an attached thread to substantially sew two adjacent sections of skin together to close the wound or incision. Surgical knots are often used to secure the sutures and ensure proper healing. It the sutures are not implemented correctly, or the wound is not properly closed, the patient may be at risk of infection or improper healing of the wound. In addition, sutures and surgical knots contacting the skin can be inflammatory or become “ingrown” and actually impede healing of the wound or incision. Further, eversion of the wound or incision edges is a desirable feature of a would closure.
Known suture devices and implemented techniques for sutures are not entirely satisfactory for the range of applications in which they are employed. For example, exerting the edges of a wound currently is an operator skill requiring hours of training and practice and not always achievable. In addition, conventional suture devices are not employable with multiple types of suture techniques. Also, some conventional suture devices do not compress the wound to encourage proper healing and wound eversion. Thus, there exists a need for suture devices that improve upon and advance the design of known suture devices.